Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of dentifrice devices in general and a tongue adhered dentifrice apparatus having a self-contained supply of mouthwash.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 321,987; 3,853,412; 4,748,709; 6,065,967; and 5,921,255, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse dentifrice devices used to cleanse the teeth, mouth and gums of a user.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical dentifrice applying device that adheres to the user""s tongue for cleansing the front and back of the user""s teeth and gums while freshening the user""s breath and reducing bacteria.
As most people are aware, it is relatively difficult with conventional straight shafted toothbrushes to reach the back surfaces of their teeth and gums while brushing their teeth resulting in a build-up of plaque and the retention of decaying food particles trapped between the rear surfaces of the teeth.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among people concerned with proper dental hygiene for a new and improved dentifrice apparatus that employs the user""s tongue to clean both the front and the back surfaces of their teeth, massage the front and rear gum surfaces, as well as, dispensing a quantity of mouthwash to freshen and cleanse their mouth, and the provision of such an apparatus is the stated objective of the present invention.
Briefly stated, the dentifrice that forms the basis of the present invention comprises in general a cleansing and stimulating unit supported on top of a releasable securing unit containing a dentifrice dispensing unit wherein the depletion of the dentifrice material enhances the ability of the releasable securing unit to adhere to a user""s tongue.
As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the cleansing/stimulating unit comprises a hollow head member the exterior surface of which is provided with a plurality of projections in the form of bristles and/or flexible nubbins adapted to remove food particles from between the front and rear crevices of the user""s teeth and to stimulate and massage the adjacent gum surfaces to promote blood circulation in the gum tissues.
In addition, the releasable securing unit comprises a suction cup member the stem portion of which is adapted to fit into, and be connected to, the hollow head member wherein, the interior portion of the suction cup contains the dentifrice dispensing unit in the form of a rupturable membrane that cooperates with the interior surfaces of the suction cup member to define a reservoir chamber for a supply of dentifrice material such as mouthwash or the like.
Consequently, when the user places the dentifrice apparatus into their mouth on the top surface of their tongue, pressure can be applied between the tongue and the roof of the mouth to rupture the membrane and release the dentifrice supply while increasing the effective surface area of the suction cup member to adhere the apparatus to the user""s tongue.